Congress Bows To Big Oil In Burma

Caving to big oil demands, the Senate on Tuesday approved a plan that intensifies trade sanctions against Burma's military regime but abandons an earlier push to penalize Chevron, the last major U.S. company propping up the repressive junta.

The move marks a departure from an earlier House-passed proposal that would have eliminated a large tax break for Chevron, potentially prodding the company to divest its share in a controversial natural gas field off the coast of Burma. Supporters of the House bill had said it would help destabilize Burma's corrupt military leaders by slashing a vital source of their income.

Read the whole story here.

Comments

[TadCF]

Democracy Now! has a good piece on the history and current problems in Burma by Chevron and Unocal oil companies, in written and video form (if you have video player), at: democracynow.org/2007/10/12/oil_giant_chevron_urged_to_cut
There are good articles all over the internet about human rights abused and environmental damage all over the internet, if you're not aware of the problems--in Ecuador and Nigeria, for example. In fact I heard somewhere--sorry I don't have a citation--that Chevron is trying to get President Bush to revoke Ecuador's favored nation status if they don't cancel the Indian's law suit against Chevron for all the illnesses that have occurred in the population after having had to bath and drink in the pollution. Another good article can be found tvnz.co.nz/view/page/536641/1805109
Or simple seach the internet using the following key word example: u.s. oil drilling effects of foreign countries

[PatCroft]

http://fearofignorance.wordpress.com/

[fleaba]

This is not news. There was just a senat judiciary hearing July 23rd about the US Supremes bowing to corporate interests. I saw nothing in the news about it. Exxon Valdez Oil Spill LItigation was one of the items that came up. Senator Leahy did not call for a full congressional review of the arbitrary punitive damages set by the Court. All congress does is pay lip service to reining in oil companies.

[MarkInEugene]

Oil is the fuel of the past. Oil is a nonrenewable resource that countries can start wars over, that when burned pollutes our air, and makes the people dependent on it like an addict.

We are never going to get out from under Big Oil's stranglehold unless we take steps to replace oil with alternatives. Here Congress had a chance, and they caved again.

It's time to let go of oil for energy...it's crude, it's dirty, it's destabilizing, and it's going to run out!

Lets' stop burning it so we can use what is left of the millions of other products we need it for.

[Tom95134]

Get real. Congress isn't about to take any action that could disrupt the flow of energy to the United States. Everybody is screaming about oil but the attention will change to natural gas soon as it starts to get cold. Nearly 100% of all U.S. natural gas production goes towards generating electricity. That means we depend on imported natural gas for heating and prices have been rising there too.

[ritenow]

About Sen. Feinstein Part 2

Another widely disparaged, Blum-controlled company that has profited from Iraq is URS Corporation. Long known as one of the nation"s major defense contractors, San Francisco-based URS has collected $792 million in environmental cleanup fees in Iraq war zones. As with Perini, both Blum and Feinstein have come under intense scrutiny to answer questions about the apparent conflict of interest inherent in Feinstein helping to secure such an exorbitant government contract for her investment banker husband. Both Blum and Feinstein have refused to produce copies of the ethics commitee"s rulings on Perini and URS, leading to considerable suspicion.

I guess you just can't say ENOUGH!

[RTIII]

Voting for DiFi is the only vote in my life that I regret...

Never again! Hell, I might even run against her next time her seat is up! SOMEBODY has to take her out! (Frankly, I'm not nearly rich enough to get the media without CONSIDERABLE help. -sigh- )
.

[ritenow]

In regards to Sen. Feinstein:

Perini (controlled by financier Richard Blum) is one of the more controversial companies to have scored big-time Iraq war money. That"s because Blum"s wife, Senator Dianne Feinstein, appears to have used her seat on the Military Construction Appropriations subcomittee to steer the $650 million environmental cleanup deal in his favor. This has lead to outrage and cries for conflict of interest investigations among those in the media, as well as Feinstein"s peers in Congress. Feinstein has also neglected to comment on this potential conflict of interest. This has lead to what Metroactive.com calls an "omission [that] has called her ethical standards into question."

'NUFF SAID!

[Deaninphilly]

Two names, Pelosi and Reid, anyone surprised?

[mamacat]

Why does Chevron need a large tax break to drill off of Myanmar? Does this mean that the American taxpayers are subsidising the Burmese Junta? Would Chevron stop drilling and pumping off of Burma if they stopped getting tax breaks? If Chevron did stop drilling off of Burma, isn't it the little people who are going to get hurt, and not the Junta?

What the h#ll is going on?

[RTIII]

...There shouldn't be ANY "large tax break"s for ANY oil company. PERIOD.
.

[memphispaul]

Ya.. Right..
And members of congress work for the folks back home...
The only group that is not too big to fail are the citizens themselves...

[wdw101]

good drill drill drill.....more oil and gases

[Podewumun]

The Ugly American mindset.

[dejtemper]

Exactly. Until Americans decide to put a stop to this addiction, and I mean all American citizens, our Congress will bow to these companies, they don't have a choice. Prices are dropping at the gas pumps, and people are ecstatic about it. Someone in the supermarket said to me - "I just got gas for 3.80 a gallon, and it wasn't E85." They were happy. We are all a bunch of trained dogs, and these companies along with our own government, know how to train.

[Egalitare]

Uhh....are we talking crude oil or gonzo porn?